US considers requiring visa bonds of up to $15,000 for certain applicants from high-risk countries

The U.S. State Department is proposing that applicants for tourist and business visas be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the country, which could make the process unaffordable for some.

In a notice posted on the Federal Register’s website and scheduled to be published on Tuesday, the State Department said it would kick off a 12-month pilot program for people from countries with high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls to be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, when applying for a visa.

The proposal comes as President Donald Trump and his administration work to tighten requirements for visa applicants.

The department announced last week that several applicants looking to renew their visas w...